


Threat From Within

by bluesfortheredj



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: Bodyguard, David Budd - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Richard Madden - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-12 07:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16868683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesfortheredj/pseuds/bluesfortheredj
Summary: David Budd is your protection officer, can you keep your personal lives from tangling together?





	1. Chapter 1

“David Budd?” you ask, sure that you’d heard that name before, “wait, you mean the hero of the moment that stopped the terrorist from blowing up a train?”

“That’s the one,” your manager nods.

“Oh my goodness, I’m sure he’s got better things to do than look after some actress. Isn’t there anyone else? He must be so annoyed being put on this job.”

“He was happy to be placed on this assignment, don’t worry.”

“I really don’t need a bodyguard, honestly, it’s just a convention, I’ve done them loads of times before, it’ll be fine,” you reply, shaking your head.

Nothing had happened to you personally, and as far as you were concerned it was your management being too overprotective. Two of your female co-stars had received letters recently at their home addresses, each containing a few strands of hair that, when tested, were a match to their own DNA. Now, according to the management team, you were at risk of being targetted too, and as you were currently in your home country, about to attend another convention, they’d booked extra security, including your own personal bodyguard. To you, it was a complete overreaction, and you felt absolutely embarrassed by the whole thing, especially knowing that this David Budd had literally put his life on the line when faced with a bomber.

“We can’t risk it, (Y/N), you know that. It’s just a weekend, please accept the extra help, and if anything hopefully this will put the sicko off from trying something.”

“It’s highly unlikely he would have followed me from the states,” you say, rolling your eyes.

“Y’know, sometimes I wish you’d let your guard down just a little, just so you can see the seriousness of this situation,” your manager frowns. Keith had seen it all with other actors and actresses he’d helped, but you held a special place in his heart, and he was like an Uncle to you now. You’d been through a lot in recent months, a messy break up that was splashed across the gossip magazines as details of your ex-boyfriend’s affair came out, and you’d hardened a lot, dealing with things by not letting yourself open up to them, and this situation was one of them.

“You’re being dramatic,” you reply with a sigh, turning to look out of the rented apartment in the city that had been chosen for you.

“(Y/N)...”

“Okay! Okay!” you relent.

“Someone’s gonna knock that wall down one day y’know,” Keith smirks.

“Ha! I’d like to see ‘em try,” you reply, raising an eyebrow.

“Hmm,” he hums, “you’ll see!”

A sharp tap at the door makes you both turn quickly to the door, and you almost feel yourself jump a little.

“See what you’re doing with all this talk?! I almost jumped at that!” you laugh.

“Well I’ll stop with all this talk now you’ve got the protection you need,” he says, opening up the door to a man in a sharp suit and ear piece. You stand up to greet him as he enters the room, and as Keith steps aside after shaking his hand, you find yourself staring at his chiselled jawline and perfectly curled hair.

“(Y/N), this is Police Sergeant David Budd,” Keith explains, “I’m going to go to the venue with the rest of security and leave you in his very capable hands.”

Before you can say bye to him, he’s gone, and you stand there staring at the officer in front of you.

“Hi, sorry, nice to meet you Sargeant Budd,” you smile, shaking hands with him.

“David, please. Or Dave, up to you Miss. (Y/L/N),” he nods politely.

“Ah, right, well then David, please call me (Y/N).”

“Of course, (Y/N),” he nods as he places his hands behind his back again and regains his stance. His thick Scottish accent made you smile, and you quickly looked down as you shook your head.

“Look, can I just say I’m really sorry you’ve been put on this detail, I read about what you did, and you’re a hero, and real life hero who shouldn’t be hanging around an actress who really doesn’t need all this,” you ramble, waving your hands around at the last part.

“Miss… (Y/N), sorry. If I may, I was given details about this job, and what this person has done to your co-workers is not something to be taken lightly. I’m here to protect you, no matter what,” he says. Somehow his small speech makes your knees go weak.

“Okay, thank you,” you mutter, “your bag was already delivered if you want to go through to the spare room and unpack.”

“Thank you,” he nods as you point to the door he needs. One weekend, just one weekend of his smooth accent, piercing eyes, and perfect jawline. You could handle this, it would be fine.

-

The first day of the convention went without a hitch, David always in sight of you as you sat at your table to sign, then posed for photographs with the fans, and you were completely knackered when you got out of the venue, slipping into the back of the car and almost falling asleep straight away.

“Can we stop off for food on the way back?” you ask David, sitting in the seat in front of you.

“I’d prefer it if you got it delivered Miss,” he replies.

“Of course,” you agree, sitting back in silence. You soon arrive back at the apartment block and David ushers you upstairs as the security settle in downstairs for the night. After persuading David to also get something to eat, you sit and wait for it to be delivered, him in the chair opposite the couch you were occupying. He was trying so hard not to stare at you, but it was difficult for him. He’d known who you were before getting this job, a fan of the show, and more specifically you, so naturally he jumped at the chance of being your personal bodyguard. He was professional, there was no doubt about it, but he couldn’t deny how much he was enjoying watching you with the public, your kind and caring nature shining through, even when you were exhausted and hadn’t eaten all day.

“May I ask a question, Miss?”

“(Y/N), please, and of course you may,” you nod.

“Sorry, (Y/N),” he smiles, correcting himself, “was acting something you’d always wanted to do?”

“Not really,” you chuckle, “probably shouldn’t admit that, should I?”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

“Good to know,” you smile. There’s a loud knock at the door and a fleeting look of panic crosses David’s eyes at the noise. He stands and answers the door, a member of the security team holding the inspected dinner, then returns to his seat with the food.

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“Of course, Mi- (Y/N),” he replies, passing you your meal, then taking his out of the bag. You’d heard he’d been positioned in Afghanistan before joining the force, and your heart sank a little at the thought he was still affected by it. He must have been through a lot out there, and you suddenly realised just how unimportant the trivial things you found yourself worrying about really were.

“David, I just want to apologise if I’ve- uh-” you start, suddenly wanting to apologise for all the stupid stuff you may have moaned about today, but he gives you a smile and shakes his head a little. He knew you’d spotted his momentary lapse in concentration, letting himself be startled by the door, and he knows you were given information about him beforehand as well, so it was easy for you to put two and two together.

“You don’t need to apologise for anything.”

You smile back at him and carry on eating, then put the containers in the bin and watch as David walks over to the window, looking out on the bright lights below. You study his form from afar, and your eyes end up hovering over his bum, the trousers he’s wearing fitting snugly around it, giving it the definition it deserves.

“I’m going to head to bed now,” you say, releasing the lip that had been clamped between your teeth for the past couple of minutes, “night David.”

“Night (Y/N),” he says, turning around to watch you walk into your room. You had a later start the next day thankfully and you were looking forward to your lay in, but once your head hit the pillow, all you could think about was him. It didn’t help that you could hear him walking around in the main part of the flat, and his footsteps came up to your door, stopping as if to make sure you were still in there, then move on less than a minute later. You look at the wall that separated you both as you hear him close his door, and can’t help imagining what he looks like naked.

“Fuck,” you whisper to yourself, rolling onto your back and staring at the ceiling.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning you creep out to the kitchen wrapped in your towel to get a glass of water, and when you turn to go back to your room, you walk right into David, standing there in a t-shirt and boxers.

“Oh! Shit, sorry!” you say, almost dropping your towel.

“Don’t be. Everything okay?” he asks.

“Yes, was just getting a glass of water. Did you sleep okay?”

“Very well thank you,” he nods, the hint of a smile on his lips as he looks down at you.

“Great. I’ll just go get dressed then,” you mutter, moving around him and running back into your room. He stands there for a few minutes, his fingers flexing as he regrets not pulling your towel away from you and taking you on the kitchen counter, and he palms his crotch, trying to stop his erection from getting out of hand.

Once you’re dressed you both head downstairs to your waiting car and he lets you in the back, closing the door gently behind you. He was still picturing you in your towel earlier, and he knew he had to stop thinking about it, or his excitement would show. Just as he goes to get in the car, he’s stopped by one of the security team from the car behind, and you watch as the two men exchange words, the looks on their faces giving you the impression it wasn’t good news. When David finally slips into the seat in front of you, you try and look for any telling signs on his face, but there’s nothing.

“What was that about?” you ask.

“We’ll know more on the situation later, (Y/N), I’d rather fill you in when I have all the facts. Is that okay?” he states calmly, shooting you a quick reassuring smile in the mirror.

“Uh… Yes… Of course,” you reply, a little worried, but trusting that David has your best intentions at heart.

At the convention, David stays even closer than the previous day, not that you were complaining at all, and you exchanged glances every now and again, unable to keep your eyes off of each other by the time you go for lunch. As you walk to the private rooms for the actors, something gets thrown towards you and lands on the ground next to your feet. When you look down, it’s a US magazine with a photo of you and your ex on the front, so it wasn’t that recent, but you stumbled backwards when you saw someone had drawn crosses over your eyes, hard enough to rip the paper.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here,” David soothes, grabbing onto your shoulders and steering you away from the magazine. Security turns around and starts to follow the person they think threw it while you and David make your way up the stairs hurriedly. When you get into one of the side rooms, you let out a deep breath.

“That was just some joker, right?” you ask, trying not to panic, “that wouldn’t be the same guy.”

“It could be completely unrelated,” David agrees, “try not to worry too much. I’m here.”

You stand there staring at the ground, trying to remain level headed about what just happened, and David can see your thoughts spiralling, so quickly grabs a hold of your hands.

“Listen to me,” he says softly, his thick accent gaining your attention fast, “I’m here. There’s nothing going to happen to you while I’m here. You got that?”

“Yeah,” you exhale, “yeah.”

You have a quick lunch, not that you felt particularly hungry after the incident, then David escorts you down to the photo area, staying just behind the line put down by the staff as he kept edging too close to you, and you feel much happier as you interact with the fans of the show again. By the time the day is over, you’ve well and truly put what happened earlier to the back of your mind, and all you want to do is sleep then enjoy your day off tomorrow before heading back to the states.

“Ready?” David asks as he spots the car from the back door as you wait patiently next to him.

“Yep,” you nod as he ushers you into the car. He jumps into the front and the driver seems to speed back to the apartment. Once you arrive and David checks the place over, you enter, finally feeling completely safe. There’s no talking as you find bits in the fridge to make a pasta dinner from, and you both eat in silence, your eyes meeting across the table on several occasions. When you’re both finished, you take the plates to the sink, and David comes to stand beside you to help. Your hand reaches for the dish cloth at the same time his does, and his hand lands on yours. Instead of attempting to take it away, he keeps it there, gently curling his fingers around yours and squeezing ever so slightly.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course,” he smiles. You let him lift your hand to lead you to your bedroom, and he shuts the door firmly behind you both. Making the first move, you change into a baggy top with just your knickers on beneath as he keeps his eyes fixed on your body, then he slips out of his suit until he’s only in his boxers, and you both move towards the bed. He gets under the covers one side as you take the other, then your bodies meet in the middle, his hand instinctively reaching out to your waist to pull you closer.

Your arm reaches around his back as you lie there inches away from each other, and your fingers gently glide over his back, feeling the scars you’d glimpsed a moment ago when he undressed. He gives you a reassuring smile as you look up at him to make sure you’re it’s not uncomfortable for him, and your eyes drift back down, this time to his chest, and the dark hair that covered it. As your fingers make their way over the uneven skin on his back, you close your eyes, and he watches you intently, your face softening as sleep starts to overcome you. He can’t help but smile as he feels your hand go limp, dropping from his back to the bed, and he shuffles closer to you, kissing your forehead softly before he too closes his eyes, his mind clear and peaceful for once.

Your eyes flutter open slowly when you wake, the warmth left behind by David deceiving you into thinking he was still there until you reached out for him. You push yourself up, looking around the room for any sign of him, then you hear his voice outside the door.

“Okay, of course, not a problem. I’ll speak to her this morning. I understand,” he says as you slip out of bed and walk towards the door. It opens suddenly and his serious expression softens as he sees you. He was still only in his boxers, which slightly distracted you from the questions you’d just thought of to ask him about his conversation, and you look down at the floor to try and remember them.

“(Y/N), I need to tell you something,” he starts, his face falling a little as you snap your head back up again, “sit down.”


	3. Chapter 3

You do as he says, sitting down on the bed as he sits next to you, immediately reaching out for your hand and holding it between his.

“I’m so sorry love, a package was delivered to your parent’s house yesterday. Security have been scanning all post beforehand so they don’t know about it yet. It’s the same as the others received, but it wasn’t sent via international postage,” he stops, waiting for some kind of reaction from you, but all you can do is sit and grip onto his fingers tight as the news sinks in.

“My parents don’t have to know do they?” you finally ask.

“Not if you don’t want them to.”

“They can’t,” you exhale, shaking your head.

“Then they won’t,” he nods, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze, “Keith will be coming over later, but he’ll be advising you not to travel back yet, just so you know.”

You nod, your mind whirring with thoughts as you try and piece together something to say, but words seem to escape you right now. The only thing that mattered was that your parents didn’t know, as you couldn’t stand the thought of them worrying any more, especially with all this security business having been thrust upon them already.

“I’m really sorry if I’ve made your job harder by asking you to stay last night,” you mumble, staring at your hand clasped in his.

“You didn’t.”

“I don’t know what to say,” you sigh.

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m going to be with you until this is over,” he says, his words meaning to put your mind at ease, but doing the complete opposite and making you worry about never seeing him again. It was mad that you were thinking like this after what he’d just told you, but it was literally the first thought that went through your head when he stopped speaking. He can only sit and watch in horror as you think things over, then slip your hand out of his and get up off of the bed. Would it be wrong for him to jump up, grab onto you and never let you go? Under these circumstances, yes, and he has to fight every fibre in his body to stay sat down on the bed.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he blurts out, unable to let you walk away from him, “I don’t want to leave-” a knock at the front door cuts him off and he quickly snaps back into a professional mode. He stands up from the bed, grabs his shirt and throws it on before stepping out of your room and answering the door.

“Didn’t your alarm go off?” Keith laughs as he’s met by the half dressed bodyguard.

“Sorry Sir, I forgot to set it last night,” he replies with a straight face.

“Ah, don’t be sorry,” Keith smiles, “where’s (Y/N)?”

“In her room Sir.”

“Thank you David,” he nods, walking in and tapping on your bedroom door. You answer it quickly, coming out in a plain knee length dress and quickly shut the door behind you, as the rest of David’s clothes lie neatly folded on your bed.

“David filled me in about what happened,” you say, leading Keith into the lounge so David could retrieve his trousers, vest and shoes.

“Everything will be alright you know. It just means an extended stay here, it’s too risky for you to travel. Now, your parents...”

“They can’t know,” you interrupt, “I’ve already said this to David, they cannot know about this.”

“Okay, not a problem, I’ll sort it.”

“Was it exactly the same?”

“Yeah, I saw it. I’m so sorry.”

“Does it mean he’s followed us out here?”

“It could, or it could mean he sent it to an accomplice who lives here to send it for him.”

“What about that person at the convention?”

“He’s still being questioned, but seems just like another nut, nothing to worry about.”

“How did he get my parent’s address? I don’t understand.”

“I can’t answer that darling, you know that. They’re tracing the post mark, at least then we’ll know where exactly it was sent from. You’ll be fine, especially with Sergeant Budd at your side. It’s just a case of sitting and waiting I’m afraid, so I can’t say it won’t be boring,” he explains, giving you a sad pout at the end.

“That’s fine. When do you think I’ll be able to go back?”

“A week maybe? Depends on how the investigation goes. If he is over here, he’ll be easier to find, it’s difficult to travel without leaving a paper trail. I’m sure Sergeant Budd can keep you occupied!” Keith smiles, trying to cheer you up.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s got some board games hidden away in his room,” you chuckle.

“That’s better!” Keith grins, giving your arm a nudge, “so, look, I’ll come and see you again tomorrow, hopefully with an update. For now, just sit tight, and I’ll get some food shopping delivered for you, okay?”

“Thanks, Keith,” you nod. He leaves you sitting on the sofa, contemplating what a week spent with David would be like, and part of you immediately dreads it ending. Strangely enough, you weren’t worried about the situation happening around you, knowing you weren’t the only one going through it was some sort of comfort, and you felt more than safe with the security team downstairs.

“Everything alright?” David asks as he emerges from your room after hearing the front door shut.

“Yeah,” you sigh, relieved you know what’s happening now. As David sits down next to you, your eyes scan over his shirt, the top four buttons undone, possibly on purpose, to show that scattering of dark hair that had caught your eye before, and your breathing stops momentarily.

“Sounds like we’re going to be spending a lot more time together then love,” he smiles, your eyes tearing themselves away from his chest.

“What happened to Miss?” you ask with a slight smile.

“Love suits you better.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely,” he nods, moving a little closer to you. Just as you think about leaning in towards him and finally tasting his sweet lips, you remember a script you were meant to look over, and let out a deep sigh.

“Shit, the fucking script,” you exhale, dropping your head sadly.

“Go and do what you’ve gotta do, I’ll keep myself occupied,” David smiles. You get your laptop out and sign into your emails, bringing up the script on the screen, then set about reading it. The first two lines grab you already, but then your mind wanders as you hear David’s door shut, wondering what it would be like to be in there with him right now, and whether he’s thinking of you laying on his bed with your legs spread wide, waiting for him to fuck you.

“That escalated quickly,” you whisper to yourself as you come back to reality, the screen having gone black from lack of attention. You eventually concentrate long enough to read the rest of the script, and by the time you’re done it’s getting on for 4pm, your stomach then reminding you that it hadn’t been fed yet.

“David,” you call out, his face appearing from around his door almost immediately, “want some lunch?”

“Bit late for that isn’t it?” he chuckles.

“Sorry, I got caught up with reading,” you reply, “what are you doing in there?”

“Not a lot,” he smiles, only his face and hand showing from behind the door. You give him a frown then make your way over to him.

“Seriously, what’s going on in there?” you ask as you see sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Nothing,” he says, dropping his head as a flash of worry crosses his face.

“Are you okay? David, you’re shaking,” you gasp, reaching out for his hand. He withdraws it, letting go of the door, and you walk through to see his body covered in sweat, shivers rippling throughout his limbs.


	4. Chapter 4

“It was just a dream,” he admits, the veins in his forehead pulsating as he tries to calm himself down, his mask now having slipped completely.

“A nightmare more like. Sit down,” you say, ushering him back towards the bed. He lands on it softly as you stand in front of him, his eyes turned downwards to the floor, ashamed at you seeing him like this, but your hand reaches out for him, caressing the back of his head as you bring it towards your stomach, his forehead coming to a stop as he rests it on your dress. His hands unfold for his lap to grip onto your hips, giving him something to hold on to as he starts to relax. You stroke your hands through his hair to comfort him, his curls bouncing back each time your hand passes them, and you feel his hands move further around your back until he’s holding you against him. You’re not sure how long you stay like this, but neither of you make a sound as you start to rock from side to side ever so slightly, mostly from standing in the same position for too long, but also to try and help relax him some more.

“Sorry,” he mumbles against your belly, then eventually lift his head to look up at you with red rimmed eyes.

“Don’t ever be sorry for anything like this,” you reply, dropping down to your knees. You’re nestled in between his legs, now just below his face, and you cup his head in your hands as your eyes search his face.

“Do you want me replaced?” he asks with a sniff.

“Don’t be silly,” you reply softly with just a hint of a smile, “do you want something to eat?”

“I’ll come and help you,” he nods. You let go of his face, then get up from the floor to make your way into the kitchen. David follows close behind, not bothering to get dressed, and helps you put together some sandwiches from what you had left in the fridge.

“They don’t happen often,” David says as you both sit down on the sofa, “but when they do… Well, you saw. That’ll teach me for napping on the job, eh?”

“I’m so sorry this happens to you. I wish I could take it all away,” you say sadly.

“You did last night.”

“Looks like you’ll have to sleep in with me every night then,” you smile, as his eyes light up finally, the spark that had been missing now back.

“Aye, I will,” he smirks, “but you’re going to have to stop rubbing up against me during the night.”

“I… What…?” you stutter, putting your plate down on the coffee table as you get nervous.

“I’m joking!” he laughs, seeing your face turn a bright shade of red, “please keep doing it,” he adds with a wink.

“Wasn’t going to stop anyway,” you smile, looking up at him shyly. His eyes widen at your sudden boldness, and he grabs the opportunity to push you further.

“Good. Could do with putting some more oomf behind it though y’know?” he says, keeping eye contact with you to see what your reaction would be. You shuffle over on the sofa, your eyes going to his bare chest yet again, then you take his plate out of his hands, reaching onto the table behind you to get rid of it, and sit astride the thigh nearest to you, your knee directly in front of his crotch.

“You’ll have to show me what you want,” you say, your voice a little shaky at the end. You lower yourself onto his leg, your knickers making contact with his skin, and he stares at your dress before pushing it up your thighs slowly.

“Aye, I’ll show ye,” he croaks, barely able to string words together, and he swallows hard as he reveals the fabric of your underwear pressed against his leg. His phone starts to ring and he looks up at you with a panicked expression.

“Shit, I’m not wearing my ear piece,” he suddenly realises. You climb off of him, mouthing ‘sorry’, then he jumps up to answer the phone.

“Sergeant Budd,” he greets, “Of course, send it up. Thanks.”

“Everything okay?” you ask tentatively as he lowers his head after hanging up.

“I need to get dressed,” he replies with a sigh, and you know you’ve fucked this up before anything even happened. You curl up into yourself on the sofa as he quickly dresses, just in time for the knock at the door and the food delivery, then you stay exactly where you are as he watches the team member put everything away in the kitchen, David’s eyes flicking from you to the guy every few seconds. The man soon leaves, giving David a nod on his way out, and as the front door closes his posture relaxes, his hands unclasping and falling to his sides instead.

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“I’m not doing my job properly when I feel like this,” he mumbles, unable to even face you right now. Your heart sinks at his words and you hate the feeling that builds up in your chest, almost constricting your lungs so that you can’t breathe.

“Then maybe you should go,” you whisper, trying your best not to let the tears fall until he’s gone.

“You want me replaced?” he asks, turning to face you in shock.

“No,” you scoff, “no.”

“Good, because I don’t want to leave ye. I just… I don’t know,” he sighs. He takes a step towards you, but you step back, and you can see the tears building in his eyes. You didn’t mean to react like that, but you didn’t want to make his job any harder than it was and it was your first instinct to protect him. Ironic, you thinking you could protect him when he was the bodyguard with the nightmares that plagued his sleep. You step towards him, shaking your head at how bad you feel about moving away, and he moves towards you as well, his chest inches away from your face as you slowly lift your head.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… I don’t want to fuck everything up for you but I already have and I only moved away because I want to protect _you_ ,” you ramble, bringing your hands up to your head and rubbing your temples as you close your eyes.

“That’s not your job,” he soothes.

“What if I want it to be? What if after the past couple of days I’m feeling something I haven’t felt before? What if when I was told I had to stay here an extra week I felt excited instead of scared?” you ask, still with your eyes closed and your hands on your head.

“Then I’d say you’re not alone on that one love,” David replies softly, his chest moving forward to cushion your head. His arms soon slide around your back to hold you in place and you shuffle forward to get closer to his body.

“What now?” you ask, muffled by his shirt.

“I honestly don’t know,” he smiles as your hands lower and wrap around his waist, “but I don’t think you should be alone tonight.”

“I don’t think I should either,” you agree, lifting your head up to look at him. His smile grows wider now that he can see your face again and he finally takes the opportunity to lean down and kiss you, his lips landing gently on yours, the hesitant kiss setting off sparks between you both, and your embrace suddenly tightens as you grip harder onto each other, pressing as much of your bodies together as possible.

“Bedroom,” he mumbles against your lips, walking you backwards to the door.


	5. Chapter 5

“Your place or mine?” you ask as your lips part again, your feet stumbling blindly towards the general direction of the bedrooms. You both smile as you try and keep your lips pressed against each other, then he quickly pulls back to see which one you were closest to, and pushes you up against his door.

“Mine,” he whispers, fumbling for the handle beside your hip. You moan at his low tone of voice, his accent so much stronger when he’s turned on, and you press your hips into his.

“Easy,” he chuckles, finally opening the door and pushing you inside. You twirl around the room, he kicks the door shut behind you both, then he starts to shrug his suit jacket off his shoulders as your kiss turns messy and wet, missing each others lips as you try to undress as quickly as possible.

“What about your ear piece?” you gasp as you wriggle your dress over your head.

“Fuck the ear piece, love,” he smirks.

“I’d rather you fucked me,” you reply hurriedly as you undo your bra. He’d seen this the night before when you’d got your pyjamas on in front of him, but he was noticing new things this time, his eyes skimming over every inch of your skin with love. As soon as he’s rid himself of his own clothes, he steps towards you and leans his lips towards your ear.

“I’m not going to fuck you, I’m going to make love to ye,” he whispers, making you physically shiver in anticipation, “get in,” he smiles, his eyes darting to his bed. You do as he says, slipping in underneath the covers as you watch him do the same on the other side, your bodies meeting in the middle as they had done the previous night, except this time nothing separating your skin from his.

He starts to kiss you, your bodies automatically pressing against each other and your legs tangling underneath the duvet, then his hands wander over your body, one along the side, feeling your curves from the perfect angle, and one gently squeezing your breasts in turn. He rolls back, causing you to now lay on top of him and your hands run through his thick hair as his now run up and down your back, grabbing a hold of your bum and pushing you against him with every downward motion. You feel his erection on your hip, then change your position and start to rub yourself against it as you moan into his mouth through the kiss.

“David,” you exhale as you start to trail kisses down his jawline and neck, “oh, David.”

He flips you over so that you’re beneath him, then duvet bunching up underneath your body a little at the sudden movement, and you let out a giggle as he looks down at you with dark lusting eyes. He grabs onto your hands and pins them either side of your head as he leans down again to capture your lips, and he moves his hips around, his cock brushing against your vagina as you widen your legs as far as they can go. One of your legs hooks around the back of his thighs, pulling him into you in an attempt to get him inside you and he chuckles against your lips at your move.

“Cheeky,” he smiles, letting go of one of your hands and sliding it between your bodies as he lifts himself a little to guide his length into your entrance. With every inch that fills you, a moan escapes your lips, and his hand soon returns to yours, your fingers now interlinking as he starts to move on top of you. He watches your face as your eyes close in ecstasy, your mouth opening into an O shape as he fills you, and he grits his teeth as your walls envelop him in a slick warmth. His hips start to move, making you inhale sharply, and his tongue licks along your collarbone, then he starts to suck at your skin, finding the perfect spot on your neck when you let out another moan.

“There?” he asks with a smirk.

“Right there,” you pant.

His pace quickens, then slows, bringing you near to your high then back down again to enjoy the feel of him inside you, and it drives you crazy, your head starting to spin as his teasing rhythm gets the best of you. He moves his head to the other side of your neck, his teeth nibbling at your shoulder as his grips gets tighter on your hands. With every thrust inside you, your hips now move with him, your hidden sweet spot now finding some much needed friction against his length, and he too enjoys the feeling of sliding in deeper. The room suddenly fills with moans, grunts, and heavy breathing as you both get nearer and nearer to your release, then with one almighty guttural groan, David holds himself still as he lets go, his legs shaking against yours. After a few seconds to recover, he starts up again, your hips moving along with him, and the as the friction builds against your clit, he lifts his head to watch you come undone, a cry of his name signalling your orgasm, then he lets you ride it out until you become still and catch your breath.

“Oh,” you sigh, “oh my goodness.”

David smiles then pulls out and finally lets go of your hands, rolling over to lay on his side next to you and sorting out the mess of the duvet around you both. Once your breathing has returned to normal, you prop yourself up on your side as well, both of you facing each other with a smile, and your hand comes up to stroke his back, the rough skin beneath your fingers feeling familiar already.

“I don’t want this job to end,” David eventually says after stroking the back of his fingers along your flushed cheek.

“Bet you say that to all the girls,” you chuckle.

“Never have those words come out of my mouth before,” he says seriously.

“I believe you,” you smile reassuringly, “I didn’t mean to-”

“I know,” he nods, “I just want to make sure you know, you’re the only one.”

“I must be a bad influence,” you joke.

“You are. But I’m not complaining,” he laughs. As you lay there in the sweet afterglow of what just happened, a faint noise causes you to look towards the bedroom door. As it gets louder, you realise it’s a song, and as the lyrics become clearer, you realise it’s Whitney Houston.

“Oh no, don’t say you changed your ringtone to the bodyguard song?” you laugh.

“I didn’t!” he chuckles, then as the realisation hits him, he throws the covers off and stands up, making you grab onto the duvet in a panic as you look up at him reaching for his gun, “I didn’t...”


	6. Chapter 6

“David,” you whisper, “David, don’t go.”

He puts his finger up to his lips, indicating for you to keep quiet, and with one hand pulls up his underwear before heading towards the door and leaning against it as he tries to hear if anyone’s moving around outside. The song keeps playing, as if on a loop, and you find yourself bringing the covers up to your face as if something’s going to pop up in front of you.

David takes a quick glance over his shoulder at you before opening up the door slowly, holding his gun out in front of him as he looks from left to right, and he walks in the direction of the front door, only a few feet away from his room. A small packet pokes out from the letterbox, the source of the music, and he quickly does a sweep of the apartment before coming back into the bedroom, leaving the package in the door.

“You need to get dressed, love. I need to call security up,” he says.

“What is it?” you ask, getting out of the bed shakily. He’s dressed within the blink of an eye and you’re still clipping your bra together when he stands in front of you.

“It’s nothing to worry about, okay? I’m here, you’re fine, I’m not leaving you,” he reassures, and finds himself unable to resist the temptation of your rose coloured lips, kissing them with desperation.

“I know,” you breathe as he parts from you, “I trust you.”

You get dressed, the sound of the song still going in the hallway, and it sends shivers up your spine as you come out of the bedroom just as David calls this in downstairs.

“Sergeant Budd. I need security footage from both the inside and outside of this building from the last hour. A package has been delivered up here and we need a team to take it for evidence,” he instructs. Within seconds there’s a knock at the door and David opens up, then watches as the door is photographed, and the packet removed.

“Where the hell were ye?” David shouts as one of the security team appears with a laptop and the footage from the building.

“We’ve been downstairs this whole time, there was no way someone could have got in or out without us knowing,” the man replies nervously.

“Well they fucking did, didn’t they? Otherwise we wouldn’t have been listening to the same fucking Whitney song for the past twenty minutes would we?!”

You stand in the kitchen, watching his interactions and flinching every time he raises his voice. You didn’t exactly feel scared, but you were certainly freaked out, and that damn song was going around and around in your head like a broken record.

“I’m sorry, but honestly no one could have got in or out on our watch.”

“But they _did_ ,” he yells.

“Can you just get that thing out of here please?” you interrupt, while the conversation was going around in a loop, just like the song that was still playing.

“You heard the lady,” David says sternly, and the man quickly retreats out of the front door, the music drifting further and further away down the hallway. The person checking out the front door gives you an anxious look, then diverts their attention back to the letterbox.

“We’ll get someone up later to take fingerprints, just make sure you don’t touch the outside of the door for a few hours until we can get it processed,” they mutter quickly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. David gives a nod, then they shut the door behind them, placing some tape and a plastic covering over the outside of the letterbox to make sure it stays preserved.

“Are you okay?” David asks as soon as you’re alone, and you notice the change in his tone of voice, his soft Scottish accent suddenly back as he speaks to you.

“I don’t know,” you reply as a surge of panic washes over you, “I really don’t know.”

“Go and rest, I’ll look through this footage,” he smiles, and suddenly all you want is to be held by him. You walk into his chest, his arms wrapping around you with lightening quick speed, and close your eyes to inhale his comforting scent, the slight smell of sex still lingering on him. When you lean back, his hands reluctantly slide away from you, and you silently walk into his bedroom, getting under the covers and trying to block out your negative thoughts.

This wasn’t you, you weren’t the needy type, you never had been, and yet here you were, wanting this man by your side constantly. Realistically this would never work, if you were photographed together it could make him a target, and there’d be no let up from the press following you both. It would completely jeopardise his job, and as for his delicate mental state, it’d push him to the edge for sure. Your mind was racing, your thoughts spiralling way out of control, and who even knew if he wanted to carry this on anyway?

David sits outside, his eyes glued to the screen of the laptop, trawling through every camera angle from the last couple of hours. The security guard was right, no one came in or out of the front or back entrances, but then he spotted the person on your floor, a hood covering their face, black gloves showing as they carefully placed the package in your letterbox, making sure it didn’t drop to the ground and break.

“Gloves, shit,” he mutters to himself, then carries on with the video, watching them move away from your door, into the lift and going up four floors. It wouldn’t have taken them to the roof, so he flicks through the cameras on that floor, finally finding the hooded figure again, walking into an apartment. His eyes widen in horror at the realisation that the person was inside the building with you both, but then he narrows his eyes as he thinks it over. Why would this person be so obvious, knowing that there are security cameras everywhere that would capture their movements? Was this a trap? What would be up there waiting for them if he called it in?

“Shit, shit, shit,” he says, each word getting louder, and he brings his fists down on the table with a bang, making the laptop jump.


	7. Chapter 7

You hear the bangs outside your door, along with the muffled swearing coming from David and start to worry. This wasn’t what he’d signed up for, this was meant to be easy, a straight forward job that would be over within a weekend, nothing to confuse the situation, and yet it had become muddled, boundaries had been crossed, and you didn’t know where you could go from this. You didn’t even care what was going on with that package, you just wanted David beside you in bed, his head resting on your chest as you stroke his hair and calm him down.

“Enough,” you whisper to yourself, getting out of bed again and opening the door to see David with his head against the desk, his hands resting on the now closed laptop. You creep up behind him, then place a hand on his back gently, and he springs up, pushing you back against the wall with his hand around your neck.

“Dav- Da-!” you struggle, gasping for air as you wrap your hands around his wrist. Within a couple of seconds his eyes lose the glaze you’d noticed in them, and he lets go of you immediately, shrinking back against the kitchen counter and sliding to the floor in shock. He places his hands over his mouth as he starts to sob, watching as you back up into the hallway, holding onto your neck and taking deep breaths. You can’t bring yourself to look up at him as you sit there trying to calm yourself, but you can feel his eyes on you, and you can hear him crying quietly.

“(Y/N)… I...” he starts, then he’s overwhelmed by tears. He reaches an arm out towards you, keeping one hand over his mouth, and you slowly crawl forwards across the floor towards him.

“I’m sorry,” he sobs, “I’m so sorry.”

You nod at him to acknowledge his apology, not that he needed to, you understood that he was troubled, you just had no idea how deeply it ran. It was your own fault, you should have known better than to creep up on someone like him, there was no way you’d ever blame him for this, it was literally what he was trained for in the army.

“(Y/N)… please… I’m sorry,” he cries, and your heart breaks as you kneel in front of him, watching how broken up he was about this.

“Shh,” you soothe, “shh.”

Your hands tentatively reach out to him, carefully pulling his hands away from his face, and replacing them with yours, your thumbs wiping away each new tear that falls down his cheeks.

“I don’t deserve this,” he whispers.

“You don’t deserve what happened to you,” you reply. He looks up at your eyes, then down to your neck and winces as he sees the imprints of his fingers now turning red on your usually pale skin.

“Don’t look at that,” you say, lifting his head up as his eyes try and keep your neck in view.

“How can I not?! Look at what I’ve done to ye,” he croaks, fresh tears now streaming down over your hands. You tilt your head down to hide the marks you’ve yet to see, and you can feel your skin starting to bruise already from the trauma, your face unable to hide a short wince when you move.

“No, no,” he groans, catching the glimpse of your pain. He places his hands over yours and removes them from his face, “you can’t touch me like this when I’ve done that to you.”

“David-”

“I’m so sorry,” he sobs, his hands now shaking as they let go of yours.

“Listen to me,” you demand, careful not to raise your voice too much. He looks up at your eyes and you grab onto his hands tightly, “David, I need you, and I don’t mean as my bodyguard. Whatever is going on inside your head, I’m here for you, and something stupid like this isn’t going to deter me from staying right by your side.”

“Why?” he asks, as if this had never been said to him before. Your knee jerk reaction was to say because you love him, so you went with it.

“Because I love you,” you say, keeping your expression neutral as if you saying this was no big deal.

“You can’t say that. Not after… this,” he winces.

“I just did.”

He shakes his head in disbelief, then slips from your hands once more to wipe his face, and looks up at you after drying them on his suit. One of his hands slowly moves up to your chin, lifting it gently to see the red marks, and although you want to stop him, you know he needs to see it, hoping it would ease his mind a little.

“Oh, (Y/N), I’m so sorry,” he whispers, “I’ll get you a doctor, do you want to see a doctor?”

“I’m fine,” you reply, placing your hand over his fingers and removing them from your chin, “are you okay, David?”

“I’ve hurt the woman I love, so no I’m not,” he replies, and you sit up next to him against the side of the kitchen cupboard, taking a hold of his head and bringing it down onto your shoulder to soothe him. Your hands stroke his hair softly, and he closes his eyes as he leans against you, your warmth calming him like nothing else could. His troubled mind stops racing, his tears finally coming to a stop, and he breathes deeply, inhaling the comforting scent coming from your neck. All he wanted to do was turn back time, go back to when you were both in bed, your bodies tangled together like they belong to be, but he knows that this would change you, and the thought that he might do it again one day would haunt the both of you.

As you sit there in silence on the floor of this still alien apartment with David breathing softly on your shoulder, you realise how much you don’t miss your life in America, and that being here means more to you than anything had done in the past few years. It didn’t matter what had happened in the last few moments, this was where you felt you belonged, and you’d do whatever it took to stay here now.

“(Y/N)...” he whispers gruffly.

“Yeah?”

“I promise I’ll get help… But… I need to help you first,” he says, and lifts his head to look at you once more. You look into his eyes, and can see the hurt in them after what he did to you, then you have to look away before you start to cry for him.

“Promise?” you clarify, blinking back the tears.

“Absolutely my love,” he nods, “I’m sorry.”

“Can you promise to stop saying sorry as well?” you smile.

“I can’t promise that now. Look at your beautiful skin, marked by these hands,” he says sadly, looking down at his own hands and turning them over. You block his view with your own hands, then bring them up to his cheeks and hold him as you kiss his lips.

“Look at your beautiful face, marked by those tears,” you whisper.


	8. Chapter 8

David knew that he had to work fast now, and knowing that this person was in the same building as you made him feel sick, sicker than he already did for hurting you. Your last words to him before he’d lead you to the sofa to sleep had stuck in his mind; he couldn’t believe that someone like you had opened themselves up so willingly to someone like him after what he’d done, and he realised he was in deeper than he first thought. For the first time in years, he could see a future, and you were there every step of the way with him, through marriage, kids, everything. He’d never looked forward to anything since getting back from his tour, he could never see a way out of the darkness that had consumed him, but here he was, looking over at you asleep on the sofa, thinking how lucky he would be to wake up next to you every day of his life.

An alert from his phone snaps him out of his thoughts and he sees that inside the package was a phone filled with photos of you from the convention. This was a huge change from this person’s usual M.O, as nothing like this had happened with the other two actresses, and it immediately made him think that you were the main target all along. He dials down to the security team downstairs, and in a hushed voice explains that he’s sending them the clips of footage that reveal where the person went after they posted the parcel through your door.

“Shit,” Pete, the guy in charge of the team sighs after viewing the tape, “how the fuck did we miss this? Everyone in this building was vetted.”

“It didn’t include visitors though, did it? Just tenants already in the building, right?” David replies.

“Yeah, but all visitors have to sign in and out, and there hasn’t been that many...”

“Have you got the book there?”

“Right here.”

“Read the names out of people who have signed in recently.”

“Right, we’ve got Joe Brent, Hannah Nichols, Dennis Werther, Madison Townsend-”

“Madison Townsend?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That’s (Y/N)’s name in the fucking show,” he growls, getting up from his chair and moving towards his bedroom, away from you, “did they sign out?”

“Erm… No,” Pete replies, the sound of him flicking through the pages in the background.

“That must be them then. We need to get up there as soon as possible, get someone here to keep an eye on (Y/N), I wanna be there too.”

“Right away,” Pete says, hanging up and arranging cover. David tiptoes over to you, kneels down by your head and places his hand on your hair lightly, his thumb stroking the soft strands. You stir, and eventually your eyes open slowly to see David smiling at you, his head tilted to the side to match your horizontal position.

“Hi,” he whispers, “how are you feeling?”

“Okay,” you nod, then grimace at the pain that throbs in your neck as you move. David’s face drops quickly, and the smile you give him to try and ease his mind doesn’t work as he stands up and runs his hands through his hair with frustration.

“I’ve got to go love, someone’s coming up to watch the door, I won’t be long,” he explains, barely able to keep eye contact with you.

“David, please don’t leave me,” you plead, worried about where he’s going and what he’s doing.

“I have to,” he states, “but I’ll be back, I promise.”

“Please,” you whisper, desperate for him not to do something stupid.

“My job is to protect you, and that’s what I’m doing,” he says, then his face softens a little, “and I love you, this is what people do for the person they love.”

He slips his gun into his holder, covers it with his suit jacket and heads towards the door.

“David...” you call out, getting up from the sofa and walking over to him. He stops as he reaches out for the door handle and turns towards you, then you envelop him into a tight hug, “I love you.”

He smiles as he wraps his arms tightly around your body, then you both let go at the same time and he leaves you standing there with questions racing through your mind.

Pete was already outside the door waiting for him, with the guard that would keep an eye on your apartment already in place, and with one quick nod to each other, the two men make their way up via the stairs. When they arrive at the right door, Pete gives a small tap while David stays to one side, his hand over his gun already. Predictably, there’s no answer, and they enter the flat of their own accord, as discreetly as possible so as not to raise suspicion with the neighbours. Inside was a mirror image of the apartment you were in a few floors down, and David’s face contorted with confusion as he started to recognise items throughout the open plan kitchen and lounge.

“Hang on,” he says, “something isn’t right here...”

“What is it?” Pete asks.

“That throw, that fruit bowl, even the flowers are exactly the same as downstairs. Is this owned by the same person that lets out the other apartment?”

“No, they only own the one.”

“They’re in exactly the same place as well, what the hell is going on?”

“Could be a coincidence,” Pete shrugs as David goes to the kitchen cabinets, opening them up one by one.

“Not when they have the same shopping list as us...” David trails off, taking a couple of steps back from the cupboards as he sees everything in the same place as it is downstairs, “I watched that guy unpack and put the shopping away downstairs, and I’m not kidding you, this is the same.”

Pete comes to stand next to David and they both stand there in shocked silence, unable to comprehend what’s happening.

“Check the bedrooms,” David says suddenly. Pete heads towards the master bedroom first, opening the door to find a picture of you on the bedside table, and women’s clothing strewn across the bed.

“Do you recognise any of this?” he asks, looking behind him at David slamming the cupboard doors shut.

“Fuck,” David exhales as he comes to stand in the doorway. The first thing he recognises is the dress that you’d worn when you sit astride his thigh on the sofa, and his fingers twitch as he remembers how your skin had been softer than the fabric when he’d pushed it up your legs to reveal your underwear. It wasn’t yours, but it was exactly the same, with the tags still attached to it.

“Familiar then?” Pete nods, watching David’s face change into one of anger.

“Yeah it’s fucking familiar. How the fuck has this happened?!” he almost yells.

“We’ll figure it out, boss, don’t worry.”

David nods to Pete in acknowledgement of his words, then starts opening drawers and then the wardrobe, where he finds more pictures, nearly all of the ones from the phone by the looks of it, including ones of him in the background.

“Shit,” he says, making Pete look over as well.

“Jesus, they’ve got it bad,” he says. David’s eyes flick over the photos, your face captured from every possible angle, and although his first thought is how beautiful you look in every single one of them, the anger builds inside him as he realises someone’s been taking these without him realising.

“How did I not see them? I’m right fucking there!” he shouts.

“You know technology these days, smaller and smaller ain’t it? Your job’s to protect her, not look out for some creep with a hidden camera.”

“Yeah,” David sighs, “guess you’re right. Doesn’t change the fact I’m going to kill them when I find them though.”


	9. Chapter 9

Staying in the apartment without David was hell. You were on edge, pacing from one end to the other while chewing on your thumb nervously, and every single creak coming from the flat next to you was making you even more anxious. Normal noises like the fridge whirring were suddenly amplified and scared the hell out of you, and your mind was spinning with worry about what David was up to. Nausea washed over you like a wave as you stood by the window, looking out onto the city, and you place a hand on the frame to steady yourself as you bend forward a little. You suddenly grip onto your stomach and run to the kitchen sink, leaning over and vomiting, your stomach heaving for a while afterwards as you turn the tap on and rinse the sink.

“Everything okay in there?” the security man asks from outside the door.

“Yeah… fine...” you reply, as loud as you can.

“Can I come in?”

“I’m fine, honest.”

“I’m coming in.”

“No, you really don’t-” you stop as soon as there’s a bang on the door, as if someone was kicking it, then another one comes, and on the third it flies open with an almighty crash against the wall. You stand upright by the sink, your hands gripping tightly onto the counter as your mind tries to wrap around what’s happening. There’s a short pause before you see anyone enter, and when you do, you immediately know something’s wrong. You’d always been told to trust your gut instinct, and right now it was screaming at you to run, but you froze up, your body completely unable to move.

“Hi. I’m the security guard,” the man smiles, and your eyes look away from his uneasy grin to the button on his shirt that was done up in the wrong hole, then to the jacket and the sleeves that were too long for him.

“You didn’t need to come in,” you reply, your voice barely above a whisper.

“But I did. You’re in trouble.”

“I’m not.”

“Well, you are now,” he smirks.

Your body unfreezes and you maintain eye contact with him as you start to back out of the kitchen to the living room, his legs taking large strides towards you with each step back you take.

“David will be back any second,” you warn, hoping more than anything that you were right. The man starts laughing and it makes you shudder.

“He’ll be distracted for a while,” he shrugs, “I’m not worried.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t know whether to be offended that you don’t recognise me, or pleased, as it’s let me get away with so much,” he chuckles, “in answer to your question though, I’m doing this because you’re meant to be with me.”

The way he spoke was so nonchalant, as if this was something that he truly believed, and you tried to think of every crime show you’d ever seen to try and figure out the best approach to someone like this. You were terrified, your heart was racing and you’d begun to sweat, but you had to remain calm and hope you could keep him talking long enough for David to come back.

“Where did we meet?” you ask, trying to distract him.

“It was the 20th January last year, at the convention in Florida,” he smiles, a wistful look crossing his face as he thinks back to that day, and he stops walking towards you, his posture suddenly relaxing and looking less menacing, “you looked so beautiful in that navy blue dress with the silver trim. Have you still got it?”

“I… erm… I think so,” you stutter, stopping as well.

“I’m very glad to hear it. Anyway, I walked up to your table and wanted a photo signed, and you commented on my tattoo. The one with the lyrics.”

“My favourite song. I remember,” you say, your eyes flicking to the door every time he looked away from you for a second.

“Yes! You do remember! I knew you would. It was a special moment, and it meant so much to me. To you as well, I could sense it. You didn’t seem yourself this weekend though, something was different. Is it David, your bodyguard? Do you not like him?”

“It was just jet-lag. It was a long flight.”

“I don’t think you’re telling me the truth.”

“I am, honestly. I was tired, that’s all,” you reply, trying to force a smile.

“Look, (Y/N), the last thing I want to do is hurt you. I’m sorry about the door, I just… I knew you wouldn’t answer it to someone who wasn’t part of your security, so I had to…” he trails off, looking behind him quickly at the door.

“You had to what?” you ask, stepping forwards.

“No, no, no, don’t go out there,” he says, putting both his hands up, and you gasp as you see blood on his palms, “I’m sorry. I had to. I had to see you. In person. I’ve been watching you, you see. I’ve been upstairs keeping an eye on you, making sure your bodyguard was properly looking after you.”

Your eyes dart around the room looking for cameras, but of course you can’t spot them straight away, as they were so well hidden.

“Then that’s when I saw him seducing you, making you have sex with him because you have to stay here for another week. I’m here to save you. You don’t have to do that any more, it’s okay. I know you didn’t want to, I could see it in your face.”

For some reason you start to cry, the thought of you being taken away from David worse than the thought of being harmed by this maniac. You desperately wanted David to come through that door right now, like in the movies when the woman is saved right at the last second, then the bad guy gets killed and they live happily ever after, but you had a feeling this wasn’t going to happen. There was so much still left unsaid between you both, you wanted to tell him every day that you loved him, admired him, trusted him more than anyone in your life.

“Don’t cry. It’s okay. When I saw him put his hands on you like that earlier, I wanted to kill him, but I didn’t want you to see such a thing, so I’m glad he found where I’ve been living, because it gave me the opportunity to save you without it being messy. Come with me, it’s all going to be okay now,” he smiles kindly, holding his blood stained hand out to you.

“I… Shouldn’t I pack?” you ask through tears, stalling him for as long as you could.

“Of course! I’m so sorry, you need your things. Yes.”

-

“David, you might wanna see this,” Pete calls out after finding a laptop in the other bedroom and waking it up to find a video of you downstairs with a man standing in front of you.

“What is it?” David asks, and Pete turns the laptop towards him, “FUCK!” David shouts, smacking the laptop out of Pete’s hands and running out of the apartment to the stairs, taking two at a time as he jumps down them to your floor.


	10. Chapter 10

“I’m so sorry,” the man behind you says, before clamping his bloodied hand over your mouth and dragging you backwards out of your room. You try and fight against him, kicking your feet out to make yourself heavier, but he still manages to pull you out into the corridor, and you scream into his palm when you see the security guard slumped on the floor with blood covering his front. As you look up, you see David coming through the door from the stairs and take one hand off the man’s arm to reach out to him in desperation.

“DAVID!” you yell, your voice muffled by the hand still over it.

“STOP!” David shouts, holding his gun up as Pete rushes up behind him, but he looks as if he’s going to cry as he knows he can’t shoot.

“You know I can’t do that,” the man replies, yanking you around the corner to the lifts. Both David and Pete run after you both, stopping at the corner when they see the lift doors closing, and your terrified face disappears as they shut completely. The arrow above the lift indicates up, so David runs back to the stairs, instructing Pete to get backup.

There were a few things you were petrified of, heights being one of them, and as you stood on the roof of this block of flats with this strange man the only thing stopping you from falling on to the ground, you felt like you couldn’t breathe. He’d sat you on the edge of the small raised wall that surrounded the roof, holding on to your shoulder as he watched the roof access door like a hawk, waiting for David to appear, which doesn’t take long.

“Let her go,” David instructs, closing the roof door behind him.

“Poor choice of words, Sergeant Budd,” he smirks, jolting your shoulder and making you lean back a little too far. You scream, and suddenly David looks at you, your chin and part of your cheeks stained with blood. His eyes dart back to the man holding on to you, your fate quite literally in his hands as he stops you from falling off the ledge.

“How do you see this ending?” David asks, your shaking frame visible out of the corner of his eye.

“Me and (Y/N) being with each other, in whatever sense that may be.”

“You’re scaring her. Is this what you really want?”

“She knows I don’t mean to scare her. She knows that, because we’re meant to be, and she trusts me no matter what.”

“Listen, she may trust you, but she’s looking very scared being so near that edge. Do you think you can let her sit on the ground?” he asks calmly, his gun now hanging by his side. You look up at the man standing next to you, tears running down your cheeks, and he takes his hand off your shoulder for you lower yourself down. Finally you can start to breathe normally again as you lean back against the wall you’d been perched on, and David looks a little more relaxed too.

“That’s brilliant, thank you… Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?” David praises.

“Ben.”

“Thank you, Ben.”

“Now I need something from you.”

“And what’s that?”

“Your gun,” he replies, and you look up at him and start to sob.

“Please, no, please don’t, please, I’m begging you,” you whisper, grabbing on to his hand.

“And why do you need that?” David asks, watching as you plead next to Ben, now up on your knees as you beg him not to hurt you.

“To guarantee we get out of here together.”

“You know I can’t do that,” David says, shaking his head. He looks down at his gun in his hand and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment before looking back up at Ben.

“But you will, though. Because I know you have feelings for her, just like I do, and you don’t want anything bad happening to her,” Ben replies, tugging your arm for you to stand up. He places you in front of him with his forearm around your neck in a tight grip, and David looks right into your eyes, making you cry even more. His lip quivers ever so slightly, and you would have missed it if you’d have blinked, but you caught it just in time.

“Come on, David, you know it’s the right thing to do,” Ben persuades, and it drops to the floor, then David kicks it over, “that’s it. Perfect. Good little bodyguard aren’t you? Or bad, actually, considering I have the person you were meant to protect.”

“What now?” David questions, ignoring the comments he’d just made, even though they were already weighing heavy on his sinking heart. Ben smirks before answering, wanting to drive the knife into David one more time.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, you see, and the way you touch her, even have sex with her. I’ve seen it all. But it’s all for personal gain, isn’t it? Taking advantage of a vulnerable woman who’s relying on you to protect her. I bet this isn’t the first time-”

“Never!” David shouts, “if you’ve seen the way I look at her and touch her, then you should know it’s more than that.”

“You may have fooled her in to thinking it’s more, but not me. I know the truth, I know she deserves better!” Ben yells.

“(Y/N), you know that’s not true, you know that I love ye, more than anything. I’m not going to leave you, you know that.”

“Stop! Enough of this shit, Budd. You failed at your job, look what you’ve reduced her to. You should never have been allowed near her, look at her face.”

David does as he says, looking at your terrified face, the tears mixing with the blood around your cheeks and staining your face even more, your body shaking uncontrollably in Ben’s grip, his arm tight around your neck as you struggle to breathe, and he feels defeated, useless, and broken.

“Shut up!” David shouts, almost breaking into a sob.

Ben smirks as he brings the gun up, almost in slow motion, first to his head, then to yours, and you scream David’s name until the sound of it firing stops you, and you fall to the ground. Ben drops the gun, smiles at David, then hops up on to the wall, spreading his arms out before falling backwards and landing with a heavy thud on the ground below just as the police arrive.


	11. Chapter 11

This was it, he thought, running towards you but not nearly as fast as he’d have liked. What if, by some terribly miscalculated chance, the blank had killed you? David drops to his knees beside your limp body and immediately puts his hands on your cheeks, turning your head towards him so he could see the wound. There was a lot of blood, but he could see the fragments through your hair, and nothing looked life threatening, although he was far from a medical professional.

“(Y/N), can you hear me love? (Y/N)?” he asks, and your eyes slowly open, the pain in your head already unbearable even though you’d just come around from the shock of it all. David’s kneeling there beside you, your head firmly in his hands, and you know in your gut everything’s going to be okay, but you watch in panic as his mouth moves and you can barely hear him.

“It’s okay,” he says, raising his voice as he sees the confusion on your face, knowing the noise so close to your ear would’ve burst your eardrum, “it’s okay!”

“I can’t hear you properly,” you shout unintentionally, “my head is killing me. David, what happened?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re feeling better,” he practically yells. You grip on to his hands that are still caressing your face, and start to cry; the pain, confusion, worry, and terror all mixing together making you feel nauseous.

“I need to be sick,” you say, bringing his hands down from your face and leaning to the side as you vomit. Your head pounds even harder, and you look up David once more before passing out on the ground.

Police soon burst on to the roof, David showing his identity card to them as he stayed right by your side, and they’re quick to get paramedics up to you, managing to get you down in the lift and into the back of the ambulance along with David who was now wrapped up in a blanket. When you get to the hospital, you’re whisked away to be assessed, and David’s given the once over, but cleared quickly, so all he can do is sit in the waiting room in hopes of news.

“Where is she?!” Keith pants as he comes running up to him, “what’s going on?!”

“She’s in with the doctors,” David mutters sadly, “I haven’t been told anything yet.”

“But she was shot in the head?! How can anyone survive that?”

“It was a blank.”

“What?”

“It was a fucking blank!” David yells. Keith seems taken aback by his sudden outburst and steps back away from him in shock.

“Okay.”

“She woke up but passed out again up there,” David explains.

“Right.”

“I’m sorry,” David mumbles, the weight of everything that had just happened now coming crashing down on his shoulders. He puts his head in his hands, hands which still had specks of your blood on them, and sobs into his palms as Keith looks on confused.

“Hey. Mate, I’m not blaming you. I’m just worried, y’know? Pete filled me in on what happened, no one could have seen that coming, you did everything you could...” Keith says, trying to soothe David as he sits down next to him, “how come the gun had a blank in it?”

“Those kinds of situations usually end badly. It was a pre-emptive move on my part. I had a back up with proper bullets in just in case,” David mumbles, wiping his face with the backs of his hands.

“So you saved her?”

“If I’d have saved her, none of this would have happened,” he replies, and Keith can see the heartbreak in his eyes as clear as day.

“I understand,” Keith nods, “do you promise to call me when you get news?”

“Where are you going?” David frowns.

“I’ve got a lot of press shit to deal with now, I don’t want (Y/N) coming out to a crowd of paps. I know she’s in safe hands with you, David. Just make sure you call me.”

“I… Of course...” David nods, and Keith stands to leave.

“Oh, and David?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell her you love her when you see her,” he smiles, then turns and leaves without another word. David stares at the exit for a while after Keith’s gone, his mind whirring with too many things to count, and as he gets up to go outside for some fresh air, a nurse comes down the corridor saying his name.

“Budd? David Budd?” she asks, scanning the waiting area. David snaps his head round to look at her, and she gives him a warm smile, “this way.”

She leads him to a small room and as he looks through the window, he sees you sitting up in the bed, bandages wrapped around your head, your face now clean and just as beautiful as before.

“She hasn’t stopped asking for you,” the nurse says, noticing his hesitation on walking into the room, “she’s still fragile though, and she may not be able to hear you properly for a while.”

“Okay, thanks,” he nods. She leaves, letting him go in in his own time, and after a couple more minutes he finally pushes open the door. You only realise he’s there when he comes into view at the foot of your bed, and your face lights up at the sight of him standing there, but all he can do is break down. Your face falls as he hides himself behind his hands, but you can see his face turning red through the gaps in his fingers, and you reach your hand out towards him.

“David,” you say as quietly as you think you can, “David take my hand.”

He shakes his head slowly from side to side, then drops his hands to look at you.

“Sit down,” you instruct, “David, please.”

He does as you say, taking the seat right next to your bed, and leans his head on your lap, closing his eyes as he does so, the tears still wet on his cheeks. One arm lays across your lower legs as the other rests on the bed next to you, and you take the opportunity to slip your fingers between his. Your free hand runs through his hair, soothing the both of you, and as you look at his face, you see in his still uncomfortable expression how much this has got to him, knowing that this would set him back. You had a lot of questions you wanted to ask him about what happened earlier, but for now they’d have to wait, as the both of you needed your rest, and you couldn’t be sure about how David would act after this.

You drift off into a restless sleep with David now keeping watch at your bedside, sitting up in the chair after making sure Keith knew you were awake and as well as you could be considering what you’d been through. David looks at your bandages, the faintest bit of blood just starting to seep through them, and his hands grip on to the arms of the chair he’s sitting on as the images of you getting shot flash in front of his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

The bang was so loud, and the jolt that your head took was horrific, then came the blood. So much blood, it was seeping through your hair at an alarming rate, and Ben’s face was splattered with it before he jumped. David starts to run, but his legs won’t work, he looks down at the ground and realises he’s in mud up to his waist, he can’t move, and your body starts to shake as you lose more and more blood with each passing second.

“Wait! I’m coming!” he shouts, trying to desperately push his body through the thick sludge.

You stare at him with bloodshot eyes, the red liquid now pouring down your face and seeping out of your mouth and nose. The finger marks he left on your neck earlier suddenly appear to glow as he stares at you, and he has to look away for a second. David starts to cry, unable to move his body towards you, and he reaches his arms out towards you, even though he knows he’s too far away from you. Ben jumps with a loud laugh, and your eyes close, your body becoming completely limp in front of David’s eyes.

“No! No no no!” he screams, “NO!”

He jumps awake, sweat dripping down his face, and his heart is pounding out of his chest as you sit there watching him carefully from your bed. The last ‘no’ woke you up from your sleep, and just as you were about to extend your hand to rest on his arm, he came back to you.

“David,” you whisper calmly as you notice his eyes darting around the room in utter confusion, “look at me.”

He turns towards your voice, not quite meeting your gaze, but his eyes were in your direction which was good enough for you, and you hold your hand out for his. He looks at it like a frightened animal and pushes his chair back with force as he stands up, his whole body shaking with shock.

“David, what are you doing?” you ask, but he looks absolutely terrified, as if he’s been cornered, and you slowly start to turn your body and slip your legs out of the covers. His chest is still heaving as he struggles to get his breath back, and his face is completely pale, the sweat now gathering down at his chin, ready to drop away from his skin at any moment. He suddenly moves towards the door, unsteady on his feet as he walks, and he has to reach out for the wall to help him maintain a fairly straight line.

“David,” you say, your head throbbing as you go from sitting up to standing, “wait.”

Without saying a word, he flings the door open and starts to stumble down the corridor, and you try your best to follow him, pulling off all sorts of wires that were attached to your body.

“Don’t leave me,” you call out, falling on to the floor as you step out of your room, “David!”

All of a sudden, he stops in his tracks then turns around to see where your voice came from, and he throws his hand up to his mouth as he gasps when he sees you on the floor holding your head.

“(Y/N)! What happened? Are you okay? What are you doing out of bed?!” he asks when he rushes back to you, lifting you off of the ground and carrying you back into your room. He places you gently on the bed before pressing the button for the nurse to come, then perches on the side of the bed, holding your hand tightly.

“David, do you know-”

“Everything alright in here?” the nurse asks as she comes in and turns the buzzer off.

“She… erm… she fell in the corridor,” David stutters as he tries to remember what you were doing out of bed.

“What were you doing out of bed?” the nurse asks sternly, looking to you.

“I was… I needed the toilet,” you lie.

“Well make sure you give us a call before trying to attempt that again, okay?” the nurse warns, “your results have been pretty stable though, so I think we can leave these off for now. Just don’t go anywhere without your husband.”

“Noted,” you nod, both you and David ignoring the fact he’d been identified as your husband. The nurse puts away the wires, then exits the room, leaving you both in silence.

“What were you doing out of bed?” David asks softly, giving your hand a squeeze.

“I was following you, David. You walked out of here after having a nightmare.”

“What?” he asks, slightly worried, “I don’t… I didn’t...”

“You did, darling. You’re still really pale,” you sigh, stroking his cheek, “you shouted out, woke up, then it was like you were here but you weren’t, and you walked out.”

David stays silent for a while, processing the information you’d just given him, then he starts to cry as he moves off of the bed and sinks in to the chair instead. He grabs either side of his head with his hands, then parts of the dream start to come back to him; the blood, Ben’s face, your neck. His eyes dart to your neck, the bruises purple and dark, and he lets out a whimper at the sight, realising that this part was real, very real.

“I hurt you,” he cries, “I did that.”

“Shh, David, don’t,” you whisper, shuffling to the edge of the bed to get closer to him, “this may not be the right time, but I need to know what happened on that roof. Please. If you’re feeling up to it.”

He nods, wiping the tears away from his face, and you get back in to bed, moving over as far as you can to the other side.

“Come here,” you smile, patting the space next to you, “it’s okay.”

He slips his shoes off then carefully gets in beside you before leaning his head softly on your chest and wrapping an arm around your waist. You take a deep breath and relax into the bed, one arm circling around David’s torso while the other strokes his hair slowly.

“What do you remember?” David asks.

“I remember the gun, he held it against my head, then it’s all black.”

“The gun… _My_ gun… It had blanks in it. When he shot you it knocked you out, then he jumped.”

“What did he say?”

“When?”

“Before he shot me, or before he jumped. Did he say anything?”

David pauses for a moment, thinking of everything Ben had said to him, everything that David believed to be true; it was all his fault, he’s got you in that position by letting his guard down because of his personal feelings for you.

“It’s my fault… I got you in that position, and my feelings for you aren’t real.”

“That’s what he said?” you ask, squeezing David’s arm reassuringly.

“Yeah,” he sighs.

“But you know all that is bullshit, right?” you try to confirm.

“He made a good point, I literally gave him the gun.”

“Don’t say that!” you gasp, sitting up and making David lift his head from you, “don’t you dare! That man was sick in the head, he made up this whole situation in his mind that he thought was true, don’t you ever say you think he’s right again.”

David sits up next to you, both of you staring at the wall opposite the bed, and he slips his fingers through yours, gripping your hand tightly.

“I… I’m sick, too,” he admits.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been sixteen hours since David had admitted he’d needed help as he lay next to you holding your hand, and now he was nowhere to be found. Keith was sat by your bedside, tapping away at his phone desperately as he tried to find out where he’d disappeared to, but the security firm had no idea either. A few of them had been sent out to look, but you wanted to be out there too, and were getting increasingly frustrated with the whole situation.

“I need to get out of here,” you sigh, banging your fist against the bed.

“You need to stay here.”

“I need to find David.”

“How long has this been going on between you two?” Keith suddenly asks, sitting up away from his phone and shooting you an inquisitive look.

“It feels like forever in the best way possible,” you reply, looking down at the hand he’d held, still wishing you could feel his warmth on it, “Keith, I _need_ to get out there, please.”

“You’re not supposed to. And you do realise that the press have been camped out all night outside the hospital, right?”

“ _Please_ ,” you plead, “you know I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate.” Keith rolls his eyes and sighs in defeat.

“Well I don’t know how we’re going to cover up those bandages...” he chuckles.

“I need a hat, sunglasses, change of clothes, and my phone,” you instruct, and he leaves the room as he puts his phone up to his ear to gather what you need. You tap your feet furiously under the covers as you wait for Keith to return with everything you needed, and you slowly get up off of the bed and start to walk slowly around the room to get used to the constant throbbing in your head. Within fifteen minutes Keith comes back into the room with a holdall containing what you wanted and he waits outside the door while you get changed.

“Let’s go,” you say, linking your arm with his for support.

“You really shouldn’t be-”

“Shh, I’m fine.”

“Look, (Y/N), I don’t want to pressure you, but I’m getting a lot of questions about what’s going to happen with you going back to America, and filming the rest of the season,” Keith says as you both slowly shuffle along the corridors to a side entrance where a car was waiting outside.

“I can’t leave David,” you say bluntly. Keith knows better than to argue with your statement, and nods instead, then when you reach the car, he opens the door for you to get in. One person recognises Keith and immediately starts running towards you, but thankfully the driver skids off before he can get his camera up to the window.

“Where to then?” Keith asks.

“The flat,” you reply, closing your eyes tightly as pain ricochets through your head. The car journey goes in silence, and not nearly as quickly as you’d like, and once you get to the block, you almost jump out of the car, much to your body’s protests.

“Stay down here,” you say, and Keith laughs.

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” he scoffs. He follows you inside, his arms reaching out a little as you look like you were going to faint any second, and he watches you carefully as your hands slide along the wall to give yourself support. You manage to get into the lift, then lean against the wall as Keith presses the button for your floor, and you take a few deep breaths.

“You feeling okay? Those nurses are going to kill me,” he says.

“I feel like shit, Keith. I’ve been shot in the head by a fucking lunatic and it feels like my brain is on fire.”

“Right. Okay, we seriously need to get you back, (Y/N), I’m not happy about this,” he frowns, his fingers going towards the buttons once again. You gather all your strength to reach out and grab his arm to stop him, then look up at his anxious face.

“Not until I find David.”

“(Y/N)...”

“David first. Then hospital,” you sigh, dropping your hand from him as you run out of the energy to keep it in place.

“The first sign of you passing out and I’m carrying you out of here, no arguments.”

“Wouldn’t be able to argue if I was unconscious,” you smirk.

The lift stops, and you get out as quickly as you can, making your way down to the cordoned off flat. You rip the tape away and walk inside, looking around for any sign of David. As your eyes wander over to his bedroom door, you think back to the first time you entered it, so full of butterflies and excitement that the room seemed to glow. Now though, it was empty and cold, grey filling the space instead of the sunset hues you’d seen before. One of his shirts lay across the covers, and you couldn’t help but sit next to it, then lift it tentatively to your face and take a deep inhale from the fabric. For a split second the pain in your head disappears as you imagine David holding you tightly, knowing you were completely safe in his arms.

Keith watches you from the doorway, giving you the space you needed, but keeping an eye on you nonetheless. He knew someone would come along and smash that wall you’d built up around yourself, but he didn’t expect it to be part of your protection team. The happiness he felt for you suddenly gave way to worry as he thought about David; his past, his obvious troubles, and what it would mean for your future.

“I need to go to the roof,” you say, taking another deep breath to get the energy to stand up again. Keith walks you to the lift again, this time your body leaning heavier on his, and he knows it was only going to be a matter of time before you had to get back to the hospital.

“I don’t think I can get up those stairs,” you pant, looking up at the few steps that lead to the roof access.

“Stay where you are, I’ll go,” Keith nods, lowering you on to one of the steps with care. He then walks up to the door and opens it, immediately spotting David sitting against the small bit of wall you had. Your blood was dried on the floor next to him and he had one of his hands on top of the red stain as he sat with a gun in his other one, tapping it against his knee.

“David,” Keith says cautiously, “you okay?”

David’s eyes snap up in fear, but he relaxes a little when he sees it’s Keith standing there.

“You should go,” David mumbles.

“I can’t do that just yet, mate. There’s someone here that really wants to see you.”

“(Y/N)?” he asks with a confused frown. Keith nods, and David growls with anger, “she shouldn’t be here! What the hell is she doing out of hospital?!”

“She’s stubborn.”

“Take her back,” he replies sternly, lifting his hand from the ground next to him, “just take her back.”

“I think she’d rather go with you, David.”

“She can’t... I can’t.”

“Why not?” you exhale shakily from the doorway. You both looked and felt like utter shit, and you were sure that if you took one more step, that would be it for you, but you needed David, and he needed you, which was more important than anything in the world right now.


	14. Chapter 14

“You need to go,” David mutters.

“So that you can bring that gun up to your head and pull the trigger?” you ask, lifting your head enough to meet his gaze. A flicker of worry crosses his face, his planned foiled already before he could even carry it out, and he has to look away from you in guilt as he sees the heartbreak in your eyes.

“(Y/N), you really need to get back,” Keith says from beside you, looking at the colour draining from your face as each second ticks by.

“I’m not going anywhere without David!” you shout, using most of the energy you had in your body, and you drop to your knees with a loud huff. Keith kneels next to you, your palms now flat on the ground in front of you as you try and get some air into your lungs again.

“Get the gun off of him,” you sigh, angry that you couldn’t do it yourself. Keith stands up and walks over to David, extending his hand out to him for the weapon, and waits as David looks between you and the gun. Everything that was happening in David’s mind was moving way too fast, he couldn’t concentrate properly, and all he wanted to do was have some kind of peace again. The only time he felt like he could think straight was when he was next to you, but he knew that when you were fully recovered, you’d be heading back to America, and he couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving. In his mind there was only one solution, and this was it.

“David,” Keith whispers, squatting down to be eye level with him, “I really need your help getting (Y/N) back to the hospital. Do you think you can do that?”

David knew what he was doing, he’d practically done the same thing with Ben, but as he looked over at you struggling, he knew he had to protect you, no matter what. He places the gun gently in Keith’s hands, then gets up and strides over to you, scooping you up in his arms bridal style and carrying you back into the building. He only puts you down once you’re safely in the car, and as Keith hangs back with a couple of the security team to hand the gun over, David makes sure you get back to the hospital.

Once the doctors have had stern words with you and David, they leave you to rest and wait for the painkillers to kick in. One of your hands has a vice like grip on David’s jacket to try and stop him from going anywhere, but there was no way he was even thinking about abandoning you right now.

“How are you feeling?” David asks as you turn your head to face him, the pain now dulling a little.

“Tired,” you yawn, and David finally smiles, “you?”

“Eh,” he shrugs, “up and down.”

“David-”

“Will you come with me somewhere when you’re discharged?” he interrupts.

“Yes,” you nod.

“Not going to ask where?”

“Nope,” you smile sleepily. Your eyelids flutter shut, your grip loosens on David’s jacket, and he shakes his head in wonder at how much you trusted him. It sounded cliched, but he was feeling things he’d never felt before when he was with you, and the more he thought about it, the more he realised that this was something worth living for. The worry of you leaving him was still there, but maybe if he got the right help then it wouldn’t be such a scary thought, and he could learn ways of coping with it.

When you finally come around again, the pain in your head has completely disappeared and you take a deep sigh of relief at the feeling. Your head snaps round to see David sitting in the chair with a soft smile gracing his lips, and you let out a low chuckle.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing,” you smile, “just happy.”

The nurse walks in just as David goes to speak again, and she explains that your discharge would be happening today as they needed the bed and despite your little escapade, you were generally well enough to leave, although you’d be taking a hell of a lot of painkillers with you. You both nod along to her instructions on the tablets, then she leaves to get the doctor to sign you off and collect your prescription. You almost leap off of the bed in excitement to gather your things together and leave, and David laughs when you have to hold on to the bed as you come over dizzy.

“Calm down!” he says, getting up from the chair and taking the bag out of your hands to finish the packing for you, “only rest when you get home okay, love?”

You look up into his eyes and your face lights up at him calling you that again. He eyes your neck as you tilt your head up towards him, and sees that the bruises have faded a little since yesterday, then he visibly relaxes as his shoulders drop. After a chaste kiss to his lips, you enter the small toilet and shower cubicle then take off your hospital gown, finally being able to change into some proper clothes.

“Psst!” you whisper as you poke your head out of the door, “I forgot my clothes.”

You frantically point to the pile of clothes and new undies on the bed, and David chuckles at you as he picks them up and walks towards the door. He hands them to you through the small gap, but takes a long look at your naked body before he lets them go completely, and even though you were bruised and cut, all he wanted to do was kiss your wounds in an attempt to heal them quicker.

“Can I come in?” he asks, and you step back from the door to allow him through. Your head was still bandaged, and you were well aware you were not looking your best right now, but David’s gaze told you everything you needed to know; he loved you no matter what. The clothes drop from your hand as David crashes his lips to yours hungrily, then he gently backs you up against the wall, your bum hitting a hand rail that ran along the width of it, and he lifts you to rest on the cold metal.

“Bloody hell,” you gasp, parting from his lips as the coolness makes you shiver. He smirks down at you, then leans around to the side of your neck and starts leave a trail of soft kisses along your bruised skin as you fiddle with the buttons on his shirt, undoing them one by one to reveal his toned torso. He shrugs his shirt off his shoulders, then holds on to your hips as he returns his attention to you, now pressing his lips along your shoulder instead, and you get to work on his trousers, wasting no time in pushing them down over his hips along with his underwear. Wiggling hie legs a little, they fall down past his knees, which gives him enough movement on his upper legs, and as you stroke him slowly, he starts to move his hips.

“I’ve missed your touch,” he whispers, “I need you.”

“I need you too, David,” you breathe, pulling him closer and positioning him in line with your entrance.

“I mean I _really_ need you, all of you,” he says as he pushes himself inside you with ease. You gasp at the feeling of him inside you again, then refocus your attention to his sincere face, still looking into your eyes as he starts to move back and forth.

“The feeling’s mutual,” you exhale as you place your hands gently either side of his face and slide them round to his hair to be able to bring his face down to yours. Yet again, David took his time with you, nothing needed to be rushed when it came to you two, and love making was no exception. Grunts and groans fill the small space around you, and it soon becomes warm and sticky inside with the heat from both your bodies that were now beaded with sweat as he thrust into you, going as deep as he could every time.

“David,” you moan, resting your forehead against his shoulder as you feel your orgasm beginning. He knows what you want, and immediately puts a hand between your bodies to massage your sensitive spot, then takes the time to look down through the gap at his cock sliding in and out of your warmth, glistening with your arousal.

“I love you,” he pants. You open your mouth to reply with the same, but as you do, your orgasm ripples through your body, making you shake beneath him, and your eyes close in sweet bliss as you come undone around his length. You grip onto his shoulders and pull him towards you for a messy kiss, and he stutters out his own climax, your name tumbling out of his mouth and in to yours as you try to keep your lips together.

“I love you, David,” you finally reply, smile against his neck as your head drops slightly.

“Not sure this counts as rest though,” David laughs, reluctantly pulling out of you and making sure you’re steady on your feet.

“Definitely not,” you pant, hand over your heart as you feel it racing.


	15. Chapter 15

A heavy dark cloud hung over the both of you on the drive to wherever David was taking you, and it had been there since Keith phoned and mentioned the word ‘contract’. A car was not the best place to have such a conversation, especially with David sat right next to you where he could hear every word that was being said. It was something you’d both put to the back of your mind instead of facing the reality that your contract would be very difficult to get out of without costing you a lot of money, and now the time had come to deal with it head on.

Looking out of the window, then back to David, you notice his posture changing, he was slouching rather than sitting upright, and his knees were moving up and down alternately in a nervous twitch. His hands were in his lap, playing with the bottom of his tie as he looked down at it with a blank stare, and you reach out for one of them, slipping your fingers between his to let him know you were there.

“Whatever this is, it’ll be okay,” you smile.

“I don’t think I can… Maybe we should leave it until after you’ve sorted your stuff out. I don’t want to cause you any distractions, love,” he mutters shyly.

“No. You’re more important right now,” you reply sternly. The car suddenly stops outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters, and you both get out of the back, then stand in front of the steps looking up at the intimidating exterior. David takes a deep breath next to you, then reconnects your hands again, his grip tight on yours, then after straightening his tie with his free hand, starts to walk up the steps with you following his lead. You ask no questions as you enter through the doors and he shows his pass to security, then you both make your way upstairs, his hand not once loosening its grip on yours. There’s a quiet corridor with only a couple of rooms down it, and he directs you in to it, then stops at the first door which is closed. You look up at the black sign above you, the white letters spelling out ‘counsellor’, and your gaze immediately goes to David’s face, which is staring at the word nervously.

“You can do this,” you whisper, stroking his cheek softly.

“Will you wait for me?” he asks, his lip already quivering slightly.

“Of course,” you smile, then slide your fingers away from his and step towards the room with the door open where there were chairs lining one wall and a table with magazines on, with a water dispenser in the corner. You hover in the doorway as David gives you a nod, then knocks on the door and opens it up. He steps inside and just before he closes the door behind him, you hear his emotional words.

“My name’s David Budd,” he starts, voice already cracking, “and I need some help.”

Your breath catches in your throat as you try not to cry with him, then the door shuts and you sit down as a few silent tears fall down your cheeks. This only proved just how strong David was, admitting that he needed help, and you couldn’t have felt more proud of him than you did right now. Every now and again you’d hear the faintest sound of a sob coming from the room next door, and it sank your heart each time, especially since the silly magazines were no distraction for you at all. Your phone starts to vibrate in your pocket, and you pull it out to see Keith’s name at the top.

“Hello,” you whisper, moving away from the wall that separated the two rooms.

“Are you okay? I thought you were coming back to the apartment,” he replies.

“We are soon, we’ve just stopped off somewhere. Have you made any progress with the contract?”

“There may be something we can use against them actually. We’ll discuss it when you get back.”

“Umm, can we not do this in front of David please?”

“Okay…” Keith trails off with an uncertain tone.

“Just trust me on this.”

“Always,” he says, “is he okay?”

“He will be,” you sigh, “he will be!”

“Good to hear. And will you?”

“You know me, Keith.”

“That’s not really an answer though, (Y/N)...”

“Fine. If I can get out of this contract, move my life back here and go live near my parents in the country, then yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Hmm… About your parents, actually, it’s getting increasingly difficult to keep this from them you know. And I need to throw a bone to the press about the situation. Do you feel up to any of this?”

“Will the press deem it attention seeking if I still have bandages around my head?” you chuckle.

“Probably, but I think you’ve got a pretty good excuse to be fair.”

“Yeah, I think I have! Right, I’ll get David home, he’ll probably need a rest, and we can discuss.”

“Perfect. See you soon.”

You hang up the phone and it isn’t long until David appears from the room to stand at the doorway, and his shadow makes you look up. His eyes are red and puffy, the tracks that his tears took down his cheeks still visible, and he gives you a weak smile. You stand up from your seat then walk slowly towards him and take him in your arms, his head resting in the crook of your neck as he presses his nose against you and takes a deep inhale.

“How are you feeling?” you ask.

“Not entirely sure at the moment,” he mumbles.

“Let’s go home and you can have a sleep, yeah?”

“Sounds good,” he nods, and you both exit the building exactly as you’d entered it; your hands tightly linked.

The apartment had now been cleaned up thanks to Keith, and was no longer taped off, so looked inviting rather than off putting for your return, and David slopes off into his room as soon as you get inside. You sort a bottle of water for him, then shut his door when you come back out to sit in the lounge with Keith.

“So, what have you found?” you ask, taking a seat next to him.

“Gross negligence on the production company’s part,” Keith replies, and you at him with a confused expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Ben. He had a history, and when they employed him they failed to do appropriate background checks.”

“ _Employed him?!”_ you repeat with a gasp.

“Yeah… He was a cleaner, it’s how he got the hair from you and the others… And how he got ahold of lots of stuff from your trailer. They found coffee cups with your lipstick on them, used make up wipes, a toothbrush...” he stops talking for a moment as your expression turns to one of disgust, “anyway, they found all that in his apartment.”

“That makes me feel sick,” you mutter, “oh, god.”

“Sorry for the gory details, but the press are already running with it, so it’s best you know everything now.”

“We need to keep this all away from David, okay? He doesn’t need to hear any of this.”

“But he’s your bodyguard.”

“No, not any more. He’s my… partner. I think… I hope. Anyway, he’s not to know.”

“Look at that. The frozen heart has thawed,” Keith smirks, and you narrow your eyes at him, “alright, but seriously, I won’t say a thing to David, don’t worry. So, you’re his protection now then?”

“I’ll do my best,” you smile.


	16. Chapter 16

The next couple of days went by in a blur of meetings and discussions with your lawyers about where you stood on your contract, and whether you could terminate it without having to pay any fees to the production company. You noticed David distancing himself, and as much as you tried to stop him, he would only push you away further. It was difficult being unable to talk to him about certain things, especially when they would be keeping you awake at night with worry, and all you wanted to do was confide in him, but there was no way you’d hinder his healing process, so kept things to yourself instead.

“Let me in,” David pleads one morning after feeling you fidget next to him throughout the previous night.

“I wish I could, darling. But you need to focus on yourself, remember? You are my priority right now,” you sigh, placing your hand on his cheek as you sit yourself up in bed next to him.

“I’m worried about you,” he pouts.

“Keith has enough worry for the both of you, so you can stop that right now,” you smile, leaning in to kiss him. You both melt into each other, then slip down underneath the covers again, and David manoeuvres his body on top of yours, a moan already escaping from your throat at the feel of his weight against you. He presses his hips against yours, moving them around in a circular motion to get you to respond to him once again, and you slide your hands down his back, then grab on to his bum as you pull him into you. David moves his mouth away from yours, then down to your neck where he starts to nip at your skin lightly, leaving soft kisses afterwards.

“David,” you exhale, rolling your hips upwards. Just at that moment your phone starts to ring, and David tries to keep your attention, but the sound just makes you worry about what the news might be on the other end, and you tense up beneath him.

“Take it,” he sighs, moving off of you.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologise, kissing him quickly, “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that, love,” he smiles. You scoot out of the bed to take the call outside, then shut the bedroom door behind you as you answer it.

“Keith, what’s the verdict?”

“Not sure yet, they’re still debating. We have a strong case though, so try not to worry.”

“This was not what I wanted to hear,” you grumble, leaning your back against the wall and dropping your head down in despair.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything again, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Just try and enjoy your day.”

“Mhmm,” you reply, then hang up the phone. David soon opens the door to find you in a heap on the floor, your knees up by your chest as you rest your head in your hands, and he drops to the floor next to you, wrapping his arms around your body protectively.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing, it’s fine,” you mumble, very unconvincingly.

“(Y/N), look at you! Just tell me,” he says, letting go of you and balling his fists as they rest on his thighs now.

“I can’t. I won’t. It’s not your problem.”

“It _is_ my problem when it’s doing this to you!”

“David, I don’t want to put anything on you while you’re seeing the counsellor. It’s not for you to take on.”

“Isn’t that what love is about? Sharing problems between you so it’s a bit less of a weight on the other?” David questions, and you look up at him finally, “and I love you. You’ve taken more than your fair share of my problems. It’s about time you shared this with me.”

“David, I’m not letting you be a part of this _because_ I love you.”

“I can’t stand seeing what this is doing to you, (Y/N), I need to know what’s going on.”

You take a deep sigh as David’s hands unclench, and he sits against the wall next to you with his arm around you. Turning your body in to his, you rest your head on his shoulder and wrap your arms around his bare torso. He was a strong man, he’d already proved that by what he’d been through and how he was brave enough to ask for help when he needed it; but you were holding this back because for some stupid reason you thought it would change everything and make him better.

“David...” you breathe, “are you sure?”

“Of course,” he scoffs, “of course.”

“It’s just the contract,” you start, pausing for a moment as you snuggle yourself further into his body, “Keith’s got a legal team on getting me out of it. He found out that the production company actually hired Ben as a cleaner, and that’s how he got a hold of… well… a lot of things from my trailer.”

David sits there in a stunned silence, and you can feel his heartbeat speed up beneath your head as his anger starts to rise. You slide your hand up his chest, then start to stroke over the scattering of dark hair there to calm him down, and it seems to work as you feel him breathing a bit more deeply, and slower than before. His shoulders drop a little, his body relaxing underneath yours, and you wait for his response.

“You should have told me this before,” he says, “that was a lot for you to keep bottled up.”

“I didn’t want to-”

“You worried me more by not telling me. I know it’s because it was out of love, but you really should’ve told me straight away.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper timidly.

“Don’t be sorry, just don’t do it again,” he replies, kissing the top of your head softly, “how do you feel knowing all that?”

“I promise I won’t. And I’m not really sure, it’s… weird. It makes my skin crawl when I think about the access he had to me and my things.”

Your body shivers at the thought and David squeezes you tighter into his side, then starts to stroke your leg to soothe you.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

“And I’m bloody glad you are,” you chuckle, “I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without you, David.”

“Of course you would have,” he smiles, “you’re stronger than you think, love.”

“But I’m strongest with you. Especially when it comes to dealing with all this waiting around.”

“How long until you find out the result?” David asks.

“I don’t know, Keith said he’d ring as soon as he heard anything.”

“And what if it’s not a good outcome?”

“I really don’t know...”


	17. Chapter 17

The night was filled with worry, Keith hadn’t phoned with any news yet, and he wasn’t replying to any of your messages or voice mails, so you were wound up tightly like a spring and couldn’t relax enough to sleep. You watch as David sleeps peacefully next to you, his features softening as he relaxes into a calm state, and as much as you wanted to reach out to him, you didn’t want to disturb him. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind, and you were only just trying to get your head around what had happened. You’d managed to speak to your parents, and had promised them you would be visiting them soon, especially after having to inform them about all the gory details of what had happened, and David had been mentioned as well, but that reveal could wait until you both went to see them.

Your mum had questioned your decision to leave the show, only asking because it had been your dream to do what you were doing and you’d worked hard for years to get where you were now, but she knew you wouldn’t have taken the decision lightly, and of course supported you fully. Ultimately, it hadn’t been Ben that had made you want to quit, he was merely the small push that you’d needed, and a very good excuse too, but it was David that had persuaded you; not through words, but just by coming into your life.

“What are you doing?” David mumbles through the slight darkness, opening one eye to see you hovering next to him.

“Thinking.”

“Sounds dangerous,” he smirks, then gradually opens his other eye to see you properly.

“Very,” you smile.

“Everything will be alright, love,” he sighs, sitting up a little on his pillows.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. How’s your head?” he asks, reaching up to single bandage that wrapped around your head.

“Better, thanks.”

“And your neck?” he winces as his fingers glide lightly down your cheek and along the side of your neck.

“Almost gone, see?” you say, lifting your chin. David inspects your skin carefully, then lets out a deep breath in relief at the sight of the bruises that had very nearly completely disappeared.

“How are you feeling? Do you want me to come with you tomorrow… well, today?”

“Relieved mostly,” he admits, “I don’t know if I could have done this without you. It’s okay though, you’ve got your stuff to deal with, I’ll be okay. Can’t be as bad as the first session, can it?”

“Of course you could have,” you whisper, leaning over to kiss his forehead, “only if you’re sure. I don’t mind coming with you.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine. As long as you’re here when I get back.”

“You know I will be.”

“Do you know what I’m looking forward to the most about our future?” he smiles, sitting up a little further and linking his fingers together as they rest on his stomach.

“What’s that?” you ask, intrigued by his sudden forward thinking.

“When we get our own place, and I can come home and say ‘honey, I’m home’,” he grins, the kind of happy grin that spread across your face when you thought of something that made you feel warm and fuzzy inside. It was infectious, and you found yourself giggling at the thought of it as well.

“I can’t wait,” you beam, resting your head on his chest as you move over to him. Sleep soon took you from the world, and David joined you within a few minutes, only stirring when his alarm went off a couple of hours later. He leaves you sleeping heavily in bed, then goes off to his second appointment, the nerves now lessened after the first.

A ringing goes off in your head as you lay amongst soft, white cotton sheets, photos of you and David surrounding the walls in the room you were laying in, and the ringing gets louder until you snap out of your dream and realise you were still in the temporary apartment.

“Oh, shit,” you groan, your head a little fuzzy after only a few hours of sleep. You turn over and reach out for your phone, then answer it without even looking at the name, “hello?”

“Woah, sorry, didn’t realise you’d still be asleep at this hour,” Keith chuckles on the other end.

“Hmm...”

“Well, I don’t know how to put this, but… You’re out. It’s done, no going back.”

“Yes!” you squeal, suddenly wide awake, “oh my goodness, Keith, I could cry.”

“Haha, we did it, kid. I’ll come and see you later, and bring a bottle of something expensive to celebrate.”

“Please do. Thank you so much. This is… there’s no words.”

“Promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“That you won’t forget me when you settle in the country and live your perfect life?” he asks.

“Are you kidding? The spare room will be made up just for you on the off chance you get a free weekend from your oh so busy schedule!” you laugh.

“Good. See you later.”

“Bye, Keith.”

You glance at your phone to figure out the time, then jump out of bed to get ready for when David came back, eager to tell him the good news. Just as you settle yourself down on the sofa, David enters through the door looking particularly exhausted after dredging up the past once again, and you try to contain yourself for now, until you know he’s up to hearing the news.

“Are you okay? Do you want some tea?” you ask as he flops down on the couch next to you.

“Tea would be lovely. I didn’t realise how tiring it would be going over things.”

“Oh, David. Do you want to go to bed?”

“No, no, I’m okay,” he smiles as you start to potter around the kitchen, “have you heard anything from Keith?”

“Umm… Well… About that...” you smile, trying your best not to appear too excited, “I think you’d better start practising your ‘honey I’m home’ line...”

“What?!” he grins, “you’re free?”

“Free as a bird.”

“So this… This is happening? Me and you? We can start our life together?”

“We already have,” you grin, “we can look for places while you have your sessions, then move when you’re ready.”

“Am I dreaming?” he asks with a disbelieving smile. He rises slowly from the couch, then makes his way over to you and wraps his arms around your body from behind as you make the tea. You lightly pinch his arm and he squeezes you tighter.

“Ouch,” he laughs.

“Sorry, just proving that you’re not dreaming,” you giggle, turning around in his arms and placing your hands on his cheeks.

“You and me, love,” he sighs, resting his forehead against yours.

“Forever,” you add.


End file.
